My favorite thing to take to a new mommy and her family is ritz poppy seed chicken. Easy, creamy, and delicious. I always make a double batch so that I have a meal for my family too! This goes great with a green or fruit salad, some bread, and my favorite dessert...some of mommy's favorite ice cream to take the edge off of those crazy hormone fueled first few days. So make this yummy dish for a new mommy you know!

I followed the recipe exactly, but let it simmer for abour 35 minutes (waiting for Christian to come home since he had to stop and pick up cheese for the nachos) which I think helped all the flavors blend together.

We threw some chips on a plate, then a little cheese, then some of the mix, then a little more cheese, microwaved them for 30 seconds to melt the cheese, then topped with yummy sour cream, salsa, and avocado. Yum. I think we each ate 2 servings worth. I wasn't really expecting much, but it was just a fabulous weeknight dinner.

(For Mason I took out some beans, corn, and chicken and made a quesadilla. But he ended up stealing nachos off my plate and loved them)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

It has been a busy few months and I have been neglecting my cooking blog (mainly because I assumed no one actually reads it) but I have some new recipes that I want to post and not forget :)

Here is one of my most recent finds...Thai Peanut Chicken

Christian was skeptical, but I combined a few recipes I found on the Internet to come up with one that we both really like, (in fact he actually used his finger to get the last bit of sauce)so here it goes...

Combine everything in a small saucepan and cook, stirring continuously, over medium heat until well combined.

Taste.

Adjust seasoning as needed. Sometimes I feel like it is too thick or too "peanuty" so I add a few more shakes of rice vinegar and soy sauce. Or it is too acidic, so I add a little more brown sugar. Or it doesn't have enough kick...add some more crushed red pepper.

AND, just in case you don't have rice vinegar, you can most definitely use all soy sauce and it tastes just fine. In fact you can barely tell a difference.

From here, things can get pretty versatile. We have always made this with chicken tenders or chicken breasts sliced into tender size pieces. Here are a few ideas we have tried...

- make this sauce the night before and marinate your chicken in half the sauce, then grill

-grill chicken on grill pan and baste with sauce until cooked through

-cook chicken in a frying pan or grill pan, then put in a pyrex with some sauce in a 250 degree oven to keep warm until ready to serve

-make chicken skewers and serve with sauce as a dipping sauce

Last night I grilled the chicken and threw it in the oven with some sauce, it turned out great, and it was way easier to get everything hot and to the table at the same time.

If you want to serve the chicken over something, you have a lot of options...

-rice noodles

-angle hair pasta

-rice

or our personal (CHEAP) favorite...

- ramen noodles!

Here is how I usually make the ramen...

boil water, throw in ramen. As soon as the ramen is almost done, I throw in a handful or too of shredded veggies (usually carrots, but you could do broccoli spears or zucchini shredded). Then I strain everything as soon as I stir in the veggies (they cook quickly and you want them pretty crisp) and throw it all back in the pot to stay warm.

To serve, throw the noodle/veggie mix in a bowl and top with chicken and sauce. Then serve with some (or all) of the following toppings...

- fresh chopped cilantro

- a slice of lime (to squeeze on top)

- bean sprouts

- thinly sliced green onions (green part too)

- chopped salted peanuts

- shredded cabbage

- extra red pepper flakes

My personal favorite combo is cilantro, fresh lime, and peanuts. Christian likes his plain with no add ins. So you can go all out or just basic and still have a great meal.

And did I mention it is even better the next day?!?

I hope you enjoy this adventure in "Thai" food as much as we do. I make it at least once a month, and my mouth is already watering anxious for leftovers today for lunch.

Cook all in crock pot for 4-5 hours on low. Shred meat and cook an additional hour.

**MANDY'S NOTES**

I thought that a whole tablespoon of each of these seemed like, well, a lot. SO, i modified it slightly and added a scant 1/2 tablespoon each of cumin and even less of chili powder and then added a tablespoon of taco seasoning. It turned out so fabulous. That extra last hour is really important, it lets the chicken soak up all the yummy juices and flavors.

We love this wrapped in tortillas with rice and beans, in quesadillas, or over nachos. I made Martha's cilantro lime rice and my favorite black beans to serve along with this, but I think it would also be yummy in a salad or in enchiladas or just about anything else!

I LOVE to make breakfast for dinner. Sometimes it just fills in the "what should I make tonight?" gap, and other times you have missionaries who request it! Although good old fashioned pancakes or waffles are fine, sometimes you need something extra special and extra easy. I love that you make this in advance and that you can have french toast for a crowd ready all at the SAME time! This recipe is delicious and impressive and will make people love you.

In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture onto large, greased jelly roll pan (18x13x1). Spread to cover surface. Place 12 slices (or however many you can fit) in a single layer to cover the pan.

Mix together eggs, cream, salt, and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each piece of bread until all the mixture is gone. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve. If not serving IMMEDIATELY, turn each slice over (this will prevent bread from sticking). Serve with syrup butter.

Makes 12 servings (hahaha....yeah right)

**MANDY'S NOTES**

First off, this does NOT serve twelve. I think six, is probably a more reasonable estimate. I fed this to the missionaries and between the two of them and the three of us there was half a piece of toast left.

Second...I didn't have cream OR corn syrup OR karo syrup. So I used whole milk in the egg mixture and used a little more butter and a little bit of water in the sugar/butter mixture.

Thirdly...I didn't think about this until the day off, so I made it about 4 or 5 hours in advance and then just put it in the fridge until it was time to bake. Still turned out delish.

And last but not least...I like this the best if you turn it over immediately after it comes out of the oven. This way the yummy yummy sugary goodness gets on both sides and you are not scraping toast off your pan. Oh yes, and PAM the heck out of the pan or else you will be sorry.

and now for reals last...make the syrup butter. Just do it, it really takes this dessert up a level.